Welcome to the Start of After School Sewing 2020-2021

      I started the after school sewing classes the week after Labor Day.  I have six new students, one from my Beginning Sewing Camp this summer and seven returning students.  Not everyone has come back quite yet due to different things, but it will be pretty much a full house in a couple of weeks.

Claire

Sophie

     Let's meet all the new students.  First up are Claire and Sophie in my Monday class.

Ava

Katie

Zoey

 On Tuesdays I have a mother and daughter, Katie and Ava, and also Zoey.

Donna

     On Thursdays I have Donna.  She is a friend of Victoria's who is returning from summer camp.

Libby and her sport shorts

Timothy and his hot chocolate cozy

     I had Libby finish her sports shorts and Timothy finished his hot chocolate cozy.  Great way to start off the year.

Pillow Samples in Black and White

 

Oval bolster pillow

     I had some fun black and white ultrasuede fabric in my stash.  I decided to use it for some of my pillow samples.  The first is an oval bolster pillow with an invisible zipper.  I also had a black linen fabric that I applied fusible interfacing to, to stabilize it.  That was what I used for my covered cord.

Funky square pillow

     Next up is a funky square shape.  I used the same fabrics as before.  This one is made from two squares but the corner is matched to the center of the other side.  

Funky triangle pillow

     The last one is made from two triangles, again matching the corners to the centers.  These last two I learned from CWC in 2019.  Some fun new shapes.  

     Do you need some new throw pillows?  Just call me at 847-543-7907 to discuss what I can help you with.

Pillow Samples Pretty in Purple

 

     I have been playing around with pillow samples.  Here is the first batch in purples.  The first has a sewn on diagonal band.

     Next up is a square pillow with a faux flange and button on overlays.

     The last of the pretty in purple pillows is a boxed round pillow.  One side is smooth and the other side is gathered.  

     In future blogs I will talk more about how I made each pillow.

Hike Lake County 2020 Part 1

     Even though it may still be technically summer, school has started and so has Hike Lake County.  We have been doing this for years, first with our kids and now with our grandkids.  The usual way it works, is that the parents drop off the kids at our house in the morning, we take them for a hike complete with snacks and water breaks.  Then we feed them lunch (usually McDonalds) and take them home.

Grant Woods

     Our first walk was just with the two older grandkids.  We went to Grant Woods on a warm sunny day.  Lunch and a park visit completed that day.

Van Patten Woods

     The next weekend we had all four and went to Van Patten Woods.  This was a longer hike (over 2 miles) and we did have the strollers with us.  Cltn, the oldest, walked the whole way while SEB, the youngest rode about half.  Another warm sunny day.  We had lunch at the playground there and they had a blast running around and playing even after all the walking.

Old School

     The next weekend started out as a rainy day so we opted for one of the shorter hikes.  Fortunately the rain stopped and we had no need for the rain coats or umbrellas.  This time we just used the one stroller to haul all the stuff.  The kids stopped at every exercise station and attempted almost all of them.  They even found a bridge they used as a stage.  Afterwards we picked up lunch and headed home to eat.  After some more running around inside, we took everyone home and then came home to rest ourselves.  The two oldest declared this the best hike ever! 

Birthday T-shirts 2020

 

    For the grandkids, I make them a t-shirt for their birthday and then contribute to their college fund.  I try to find fun knits that they would like.

     For the oldest I chose monster trucks, he loves his vehicles.  I used a McCall's pattern that I had bought back in 1997.  T-shirts and shorts haven't really changed much for kids.

     For the only granddaughter, I found a pink knit with silver and purple sequin flowers.  She loves pink and purple and sparkles.  I used the same McCall's pattern.  I didn't like though that there were sequins inside the shirt in the seams.  I spent hours removing all those sequins from the seams.  I was still finding sequins in my sewing room months later.

     The next grandson is dinosaur crazy.  His birthday was soon after being shut down for COVID-19 so there was no party for him.  I had a yard sign made and we delivered it and his shirt on his birthday.  Even though it was chilly outside, he immediately stripped off his jacket and other shirt and put it on.  He was so excited.

     The youngest got a t-shirt that was made from leftover fabric from his brother's from last  year.  I thought the crazy monsters suited him just fine.  I used the Kwik Sew book for toddlers for his t-shirt. 

     We were all supposed to go on a family vacation in July so I had decided to make them matching outfits.  In January and February I cut out the shorts and t-shirts.  I bought fabric to match their birthday t-shirts and white knit for the tops.  Then everything got shut down and we had to cancel the vacation.  I did go ahead and sew up their outfits though as they were already cut out.  I had a fun embroidery design from Designs Bu JuJu.  It said Cousin Crew and was a Christmas design.  I just left off the snowflakes and it was great for their t-shirts.

     We were able to have them over for a cousin sleepover in August.  They modeled their birthday t-shirts and then their cousin ones.  Man, these kiddos just make my heart melt.